HSE announces a 3 month extension on the validity of any certificate due to expire on or after 16th March 2020.

For those responsible for Business Continuity and Compliance or individuals who require a valid First Aid certificate to satisfy licencing or regulatory requirements for work, rest assured that the HSE has today announced a 3 month extension on the validity of any certificate due to expire on or after 16th March 2020.
The HSE has stated:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware that people holding Offshore Medic (OM), Offshore First Aid (OFA), First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) certificates nearing expiry date, might experience disruption to access to requalification training as a result of events or circumstances generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
HSE’s current guidance on the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 is that those holding an OM, OFA, FAW or EFAW qualification should undertake to retrain before their original certificate expires and HSE strongly recommends that employers and individuals holding those qualifications should plan for requalification training well in advance of expiry dates.
If however requalification training is prevented for reasons associated directly with coronavirus or by complying with related government advice, it is reasonable and practical to extend the validity of current certificates by up to 3 months.
Anyone taking advantage of this extension should be able to describe clearly their reasons for delaying requalification training and demonstrate steps they have taken to undertake the training if required.
This guidance comes into effect for certificates expiring on or after 16th March 2020. HSE will review this matter over the coming months and will issue further statements as necessary.
Also, the Department of Education has commented as follows:
The Department for Education supports the HSE statement regarding the extension of first aid certificates during coronavirus emergency and that it can be applied to paediatric first aid certificates held by staff in early years provision.